St. Joseph's takes care of our students' bodies and minds

Did you know: St. Joseph's students are able to be seen by nurses, counselors and Physician Assistants without ever having to leave campus?

St. Joseph's Indian School's Freimann Healthcare Center, located on St. Joseph's campus, is open daily and has 'on-call' nurse availability after hours and on weekends. Physician Assistants are available each morning during the week to see to the needs of our students and staff members.

Students are referred to the health center by a houseparent or school staff member whenever there is an injury or illness that needs attention. Barring something serious like an x-ray, St. Joseph's four nurses, two physician assistants (PAs) and one certified nurse practitioner (CNP) are able to see to all the students' medical needs.

A range of illnesses and injuries are cared for at the health center — some of St. Joseph's most common visits are for colds, flu, viruses, allergies, infections, sinusitis, pink eye, strep throat, asthma and athletic injuries. Students stay at the health center during the school day when they are too sick to attend school.

In total, St. Joseph's students made 2,262 visits to the health center in the 2014-2015 school year!

Nurses at the health center also evaluate our students' eyesight and arrange for eye appointments if needed. Annual dental appointments with a local dentist are also scheduled by the health center staff. Any time students need to see a specialist, it's arranged through the health center!

All staff who work directly with the children — like teachers, houseparents and counselors — are also trained to deal with minor health problems and are certified in basic First Aid and CPR.

In addition to seeing that the Lakota students are healthy physically, our certified Family Service Counselors help our Native American students stay healthy mentally. Each student has a counselor who works one-on-one with the student and his or her family.

Our clinical services team helps youngsters — and their families — deal with everything from homesickness and growing pains to drug addiction and everything in between. To help facilitate more holistic healing, families are included in their child's care plans through regular meetings, both in person and over the phone.

In the 2014-2015 school year, 32% of St. Joseph’s students received psychological services while 24% were referred for psychiatric treatment.

Through it all, St. Joseph's team of counselors, support staff and health center staff can provide these resources thanks to you!

Our Mission

St. Joseph’s Indian School, an apostolate of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, partners with Native American children and families to educate for life — mind, body, heart and spirit.